Privacy policy

Who this policy covers

This policy covers visitors to cemeteryledger.com, people who request a demo, and staff who sign in to Cemetery Ledger on behalf of a cemetery, crematory or cemetery organization (our “customers”).

The records a customer stores with us, such as interment registers, deeds, cremation authorizations and the people named in them, belong to that customer. For those records the customer decides what is collected and how it is used, and we process it only on the customer’s instructions and under our agreement with them. If you have a question about a record that names you or your family, please contact the cemetery directly. We will pass on any request we receive.

What we collect

When you visit our website or request a demo

• The details you enter in the demo form: name, work email, organization, state, role and your message.
• Basic technical information our hosting provider records for security and reliability, such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested.

When you use Cemetery Ledger as a customer’s staff member

• Account details: your name, email address, password (stored only as a one-way hash) and two-step sign-in settings.
• Your role and which of the customer’s sites you can access.
• An audit trail of what you do: which records you create, change, export or view when they are marked as restricted, with the time and IP address. Cemetery records law requires this trail, so it is kept permanently as part of the customer’s archive.

Customer records

Customer records can include names, dates and places of birth and death, burial and cremation details, causes of death where they appear on a permit, lot owners and their contact details, and copies of signed documents. We store and process these only to provide the service to the customer who owns them.

Signatures and identity checks

When a family member or authorizing agent signs on screen, we store the signature image, their name and relationship, the date and time, the statement they agreed to, and the IP address and browser of the device used, so the signature can be shown to be genuine later. When remains are released, staff record how the recipient’s identity was checked. These details form part of the customer’s permanent record and are shown only to the customer’s authorized staff, never on public pages.

How we use information

• To provide, secure and support the service, including sign-in, verifying file integrity, backups and fraud prevention.
• To respond to demo requests and to communicate with customers about their account, billing and service changes.
• To bill customers through our payment processor.
• To meet legal obligations, such as record-keeping and responding to lawful requests.

We do not sell personal information, use customer records for advertising, or use customer records to train AI models.

Handwriting suggestions

If a customer turns on suggested transcription, page images are sent to OpenAI’s API to propose a reading of the handwriting. Under OpenAI’s API terms, data sent this way is not used to train their models. Suggestions are clearly marked and are not saved as part of the record until a staff member confirms them. Customers can turn this feature off.

Service providers

We use a small number of providers to run the service. Each one receives only what it needs for its job.

These providers process data in the United States. We will update this list before adding a provider that handles customer records.

Cookies

We use only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and to protect sign-in forms. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

How long we keep information

• Demo requests: up to two years after our last contact with you, unless you become a customer.
• Customer records: as long as the customer instructs and the applicable state retention rules require. Permanent records are kept permanently. When a customer leaves, we provide a full export and then delete or hand over their data as our agreement with them specifies.
• Account and audit information: for the life of the customer’s archive, because it forms part of that record.

Security

Each customer’s records are kept in a separate database schema and separate storage, encrypted in transit and at rest. Archived images are stored write-once with a second copy, and their integrity is re-checked on a schedule. Staff with administrative roles must use two-step sign-in. Our team can reach customer data only when the customer approves it, for a limited time, and every such access is logged. More detail is on our security page.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us to see, correct or delete personal information we hold about you as a website visitor or account holder, and you can opt out of non-essential email at any time. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state law. Where information is part of a customer’s record, we will refer your request to that customer, because records law may require them to keep it. We will not discriminate against you for making a request.

Children

The service is for cemetery professionals and is not directed at children. Customer records may include information about deceased minors as part of the historical record. That information is handled under the customer’s instructions.

Changes

If we make a material change to this policy, we will update the date at the top and tell customers by email before the change takes effect.

Contact

Questions or requests: privacy@cemeteryledger.com.